LIFE’S A GRIND
Jack Scribe
__________________________
Chapter
15, THE VARIABLE PRICE OF RECOGNITION
Jeremy
finished his workout and returned to the relatively empty Bally’s locker room
for a quick shower before changing into uniform. He shook his head with wonderment
that spring seemed to be moving so fast. It was the first of May and he’d
be graduating in a little over five weeks. Wedged in between was his sister’s
visit to the club for the batchelorette party. At this point, however, nervousness
was no longer part of the equation: he was looking forward to showing Naomi
what he did on stage.
Off
came the sweat-drenched tank top before he sat down on the bench to remove
his sneakers and socks. ‘Whew,’ he thought after a fast sniff of his pits,
‘a shower is definitely in order.’ He stood and pulled off his briefs and
workout shorts in a quick, single motion before opening his locker. Jeremy
closed his eyes and gave his cock a gentle yank and scratched his moist scrotum.
“Christ,
Sloan. I can’t leave you alone for a few moments and you’re already busy playing
with yourself,” Zach said with a chuckle as he joined Jeremy at a nearby locker
and twirled the combination of his lock. The two friends made it a point to
work out together at least once a week depending on Zach’s training appointments.
“Bro,
cut me some slack. A man’s gotta scratch his balls after they’ve been all
cooped up.” Jeremy grinned and continued, “That was a good work out. Thanks
for working with me and spotting the weights. I’ve been kinda sluggish since
yesterday.”
“I
hear your buddies had a good time last Sunday night at the club.” Zach toed
out of his sneakers and pulled off his damp sleeveless tee.
“It
was crazy. And then after the performance, we all went over to a guy’s house
for some late night chow. How’d you hear about Sunday?” Jeremy asked as he
reached for his towel and flip-flops. He slipped on the ‘flops’ and draped
the towel around his neck.
“Will
Jacobs told me your friends went a little overboard when you went down the
runway for tips during the second act. Lots of gropes, I understand.” Zach
and Will from the Barecats had become closer friends over the past month.
“He said both the audience and cast thought it was hilarious.” Zach removed
his shorts and kicked them aside. He reached into his protective pouch and
loosened his compressed cock. He let out an audible sigh as he pulled down
the well-worn jock.
“My
best friend, Robert Stein, led off the whole thing by jamming a twenty down
the front of my thong, fingering my dick and then made it a point of squeezing
my nuts from the outside. The other six friends repeated that whole thing.
Then, strangers got into the swing of things and really became friendly,”
Jeremy replied with a laugh. “I had to get off the runway cuz I was getting
hard. Made some good money, though.” Jeremy subtly admired Zach’s naked physique
while they talked. The flat abs, tight pecs, muscled arms and solid thighs
were a perfect backdrop for the very healthy flaccid four inches that rested
in front of shaved low-hangers. ‘Jeez,’ he thought, ‘I gotta stop perving
on my big brother. But he is yummy.’
“Potentially
a very dangerous situation. You could poke somebody’s eye out with that friggin’
thing.” Zach secured the towel around his waist and looked in his locker for
shampoo.
“Oh,
right. Like you’re in the teeny weenie category,” Jeremy shot back as he closed
his locker. “I see that shit-eating smile on Will’s face at the club.”
“We’ve
become friends…thanks to you guys.” Zach led the way as they walked to the
showers. “Very good friends. Nuf said.”
“I
don’t know who’s doing what to whom but it’s working. Being in the unique
situation of knowing what each of you are bringing to the table – or bed –
I say…go for it. Will’s one of the good guys.” Jeremy made sure no one was
looking before he swatted Zach’s terry-covered butt.
“Hey.
Ease up on molesting your seniors. The members will think we’re queer, or
something,” Zach quietly replied with a laugh. “Seriously, we’re just taking
it one step…yada, yada, yada. Let’s just say that the word ‘versatility’ is
a good way to close this subject.”
“After
I get out of school, we should get together for another dinner. Charlie really
thinks you’re a helluva guy.” Jeremy stepped into the shower room, hung up
the towel and turned on the faucet. Zach did the same thing at the next shower.
“And Will Jacobs has become a solid friend.” Jeremy looked over to the other
side of the shower room and noticed an older guy smiling while he watched
Jeremy and Zach soaping down. The guy winked and casually stroked his growing
cock. Jeremy shrugged and turned his back on the admirer. “Don’t look now
but we’ve got an audience of one behind us.”
“Really?
Think we should give him a show?” Zach asked with a low snicker.
“Tempting
but probably not a good idea. We’d have a great time if you don’t consider
that incest results when brothers play around.”
“Not
to mention that you’re a married man and we’d get fired,” Zach added while
he rinsed down his torso.
“If
he wants a show he can come down to the club; you can get almost the same
results if you throw some imagination into the mix.” Jeremy purposely continued
to stand facing the shower while he shampooed and took care of his front side.
When he turned, the older man was gone. He was becoming used to people recognizing
him from the Trib fashion photos. It was flattering and for the most part
he handled it well.
The
two friends got dressed in their respective uniforms and started their work
shifts. Jeremy felt very lucky to have this big brother friendship and hoped
that Zach would find a way to fill the void that occurred when Gio fucked
up the relationship. He wondered if Will Jacobs might be the guy?
*****
The
pace of school and the ritual of being a senior in his final month before
graduation were gaining momentum. The next day, Jeremy was sorting out some
papers at his locker when he was suddenly knocked to the floor unexpectedly.
“What
the fuck,” Jeremy said with surprise. Looming over him was Max Boring.
“Oh,
sorry, Sloan. I didn’t see your faggoty ass in my way.” Max and Jeremy were
sworn enemies since grade school. However, except for a street skirmish in
the sixth grade that ended in a draw, nothing dramatic had occurred between
the two. They mostly ignored each other. “Next time, be more careful…cocksucker.”
There
were a few laughs from another guy who stood behind Max. Jeremy immediately
recognized him as Billy Cortez, Max’s teammate from football. ‘Shit,’ Jeremy
thought as he got to his feet, ‘I’ve got homophobic retards in pairs. How
lucky can I be?’
“Hey,
Max. Maybe this fuckin’ fairy will want to suck us off,” Billy said with a
leer.
“Don’t
flatter yourself, Cortez,” Jeremy snapped back. “I doubt if anyone would want
to do anything with that little dick of yours.” He glared at the two ex-linebackers
and got a little nervous – he was facing a combined 550 pounds of gorillas
on the loose. ‘Man,’ he thought, ‘this isn’t suppose to happen when you’re
18 and almost out of high school.’
“Pretty
boy might want to take my cock up his butt,” Max countered as he stepped forward
with a clenched fist.
“Gentlemen,
what’s going on?” came a voice from behind them. “Sloan…are these two bothering
you?” asked Mr. Touhy, a biology teacher.
“Um…no,
Sir. We were just having a little discussion,” Jeremy replied.
“Yeah.
Senior class stuff.” Max backed away and loosened his fist.
“Make
sure that’s all it is. Now, I suggest that you all get on to your next class.”
The
three students muttered in unison, “Yes, Sir,” as Mr. Touhy walked away.
“Sloan,
this ain’t over. I don’t like pansy queers…especially you. I heard about you
dancing in that club…all nude and everything before guys…letting them grab
your nuts. I think that fucking the shit out of you might be a graduation
gift that you’ll remember for a long time.” Max glared at him with a superior,
evil expression.
“Yeah…you’ll
find out how small my boner is when I’m pluggin’ your butt hole.” Billy grabbed his crotch and laughed. “We could
tag team.”
“If
you’re real good, we might use some KY…just to show how much we really like
you.” Max joined the laugh and playfully punched Billy on the arm. “And I
know you’ll like some hot, hard piece of meat up your faggot ass.”
“In
your dreams. Screw off and leave me alone. We never have liked each other
and I certainly have no intention of dignifying you and the shit you’re saying.
I may be smaller but I’m not afraid to protect myself from retards like you
two.”
“Who
you goin’ to run to, your mommy? Oh, that’s right. She’s not here anymore,
is she?” Max said with a sneer.
Jeremy’s
mouth flew open and color momentarily drained from his face. He gritted his
teeth, clenched his fists and forced himself not to explode. “That was a low
blow, you moron. Fuck you,” he said in a low, calculated tone of loathing.
“No,
fuck you. I mean…really…fuck you. What I said is goin’ to happen real soon.
So don’t loosen yourself up too much. I like a tight piece of ass. Come on,
Billy. Let’s get to class.” He purposefully bumped into Jeremy as the two
football players left.
“What
did those two Neanderthals want?” asked Robert as he walked up. “They looked
pretty stupid as usual…but you don’t look very happy.”
“Double
trouble. Max got pretty threatening…calling me a queer, faggot…stuff like
that. Then did a swipe at my mom.”
“Oh,
buddy. I’m really sorry.” Robert took his arm and placed it around Jeremy’s
shoulder. “What the hell started this?”
“Somehow
he heard about the Barecats and dancing for the guys. Now he tells me that
he’s going to…fuck me. Hateful, homophobic stuff like that. What an idiotic
bastard. And Billy’s just as bad. I could fight one of them one-on-one…but
I’m lunchmeat if they gang up on me.”
“See
your point. What a friggin’ drag for this to happen the last month of high
school. After that, we’ll be in college and those assholes will be bagging
fries.”
“If
they’re lucky,” Jeremy said. He found the book he was looking for and closed
the locker. “Neither one got picked up by any schools for a football scholarship
ride.”
“Let
me tell everyone about the threats and set up something of a watch around
school. One of us can be sure we’re around if trouble happens.”
“It’s
crazy to have to do this…but you’re right. I can’t believe some shit that
freshmen usually pull off is happening right now. I’ll let Tommy know, too.”
“Don’t
let this get you down. Just five weeks and counting,” Robert said as they
walked to the next class.
*****
“Ohhh,
Babe,” purred Jeremy as Charlie massaged his shoulders. The shave sessions
had now been expanded to include backrubs, lovemaking and cuddling. Jeremy
happily accepted the invitation for sleepovers with his lover on Thursdays.
“You
got a little knot right here,” Charlie applied a little more pressure and
patiently kneaded the tightness. “Tension, no doubt, caused by the confrontation
with that asshole you mentioned. What’s the name…Max Boring? I remember him…you
guys were sophomores my senior year. He was a mean dude on the football field.”
“Boring’s
been like that since we were kids…but I could handle it then. I admit this
homophobic and potential gay bashing crap scares me. Billy Cortez is a groupie
and will do anything he’s told. Christ, this isn’t Bum Fuck, Alabama. And
it’s 2007, for God’s sake.”
“I
don’t like the sound of what those guys might be planning.” Charlie moved
his strong hands down to the small of Jeremy’s lower back and leaned down.
“And I don’t want anything messed around with. Especially down here.” He leaned
down and tenderly kissed each firm glute before he poked at Jeremy’s puckered
rosebud with his tongue.
“Ahhh…you
know how to turn me on,” Jeremy crooned. He wiggled his butt slightly and
relaxed his sphincter. He gasped when Charlie replaced the tongue with a wet
finger.
“Hon,
I’m going to make a few calls and talk with Garin. Those cretins are going
to regret they ever thought of messing around with my man.” Charlie dug around
and zeroed in on Jeremy’s prostate.
Jeremy
started breathing heavier. “But…”
“No
Buts.” Charlie grabbed the bottle of AstroGlide from the nightstand and applied
lube on his fingers. “Except yours,” he added with a snicker. Slowly he inserted
two fingers and massaged Jeremy’s nut with more intensity. By the time Charlie
added a third digit, Jeremy had wiggled around so they were facing each other.
“Then
I’m in your hands…and everything else you’ve got.” Jeremy looked into the
deepest depths of Charlie’s eyes, nodded and slowly raised his legs.
*****
‘What
a gorgeous day,’ Jeremy thought as he exited the school. It was only the second
week of May but the temperatures were approaching 80 degrees…something unusual
for Chicago this early in the season. With most students still in class, foot
traffic was nil when he left the building. He had continued his routine of
skipping the last study period of the day so he could get to Bally’s for a
workout. ‘Only four more weeks and I’m outta here,’ he thought while he stood
for a moment with closed eyes to absorb the late afternoon sun.
Suddenly
his arms were grabbed and roughly pulled behind him. Jeremy opened his eyes
as the snap of handcuffs secured his wrists. “What the…”
“We’re
baaack,” Max Boring said, in a mocking tone. “Your worst dreams have returned,
faggot.”
“You
asshole…what…” was all Jeremy got out before a piece of duct tape was slapped
over his mouth. Hands grabbed each of his arms like meaty vises. ‘Shit,’ he
thought as they manhandled him, ‘these turds are serious.’
“The
next time the tape comes off will be when you’re begging for our dicks up
your boy cunt,” Billy Cortez blurted out. “Now, walk.”
Jeremy
struggled but the strength of the two football linemen was too much. He tried
going limp but they just dragged him north to the tennis courts and sports
practice fields. The two large young men flanked Jeremy tightly enough so
that only a person closely monitoring the threesome would know something was
not right.
It
was just after 2:00 p.m. and the last P.E. classes of the day hadn’t come
out to go through their exercise drills. Jeremy was very concerned that his
captors would go unnoticed. He was now walking in a stagger as they crossed
over to the grassy area and passed the tennis courts. ‘Oh, fuck. They’re going
to the equipment shed,’ he decided. ‘Once we’re in there, I’m dead meat…literally.’
He knew this was where all of the football blocking sleds and other padded
equipment were stored. Jeremy now regretted he had sloughed off Garin’s offer
to provide security monitors after school.
“Good
idea to get the key from the coach’s office. No one will suspect we’re here,”
Billy said with a laugh. “We can do all kind of things before we send him
home. If he can walk.”
“Coach
will never miss it. No one will be out this way.” Max stopped the procession
in front of the door. “Hold this faggot while I get the lock.”
Jeremy
felt the bearish arms of Billy firmly wrap around him while Max inserted the
key into the padlock. He tried struggling and kicking to wriggle loose. It
was to no avail; Billy just held on tighter. ‘These guys
are actually going to do this…and probably get away with it,’ he thought with
looming dread. For the last couple of years, Max had been a private joke among
his classmates when it came to guys getting a sexual homerun. According to
the rumors, the few girls who did spread their legs for the football player
had been absolutely revolted by the experience. His idea of intercourse was
a fast ‘wham, bam – thank you, M’am’ approach. The hefty jock wanted to get
off as soon as possible and had little if any regard for the girl. ‘Victim
is more like it,’ Jeremy thought.
Max
placed the padlock and key on the ground before he opened the darkened shed.
He flipped on an overhead light bulb and motioned for Billy to enter with
Jeremy. “Put that mutherfucker on the floor and we’ll get this show on the
road,” Max growled.
Billy
did as instructed and Jeremy roughly hit the compacted dirt floor. “Stay there,
you fuckin’ queer.” He put his heel on Jeremy’s butt and shoved him effortlessly
like one of the blocking sleds. “Why don’t we have him blow us, first?”
“Maybe
afterwards. We can use his queer mouth to clean our dicks off. You got the
towels?”
“Yeah.
They’re in the corner. I put them here yesterday.”
“Good.
Now close the door. My dick is aching for his queer ass.” Max laughed and
pushed Jeremy a little further with his foot. “You want it, don’t you, Sloan?”
“Urghh,”
was all Jeremy could get out from behind the tape over his mouth while he
lay on his back. Added to his worry was Max’s cock. He was hung like a fireplug
and apparently didn’t have a clue how to use his dick…other than a ramrod.
Jeremy had seen Max horsing around in the showers a couple of times, getting
an erection, and grimaced at the thought of having to take that monster. It
made Robert’s ‘can’ look like a firecracker by comparison. There was absolutely
no chance that Max would even consider a fingering routine and Jeremy knew
that he could be seriously hurt down there.
He
halfway hoped that Billy would be the first one to fuck him: Cortez was more
modestly endowed. ‘If Billy goes first,’ Jeremy considered, ‘it might be a
way to stretch me before Max forces his dick in me.’ The thought of that gave
the term ‘mercy fuck’ new meaning.
“Billy,
help me stand him up and move him over to the closest blocking sled. Face
him to the sled and I’ll remove the cuffs from his hands.”
“Ain’t
that kinda dangerous?” Billy asked.
“We’re
going to tape his wrists to the supports behind the body pads. And if this
fairy gives you any trouble, punch the fucker hard in the kidneys. He’ll piss
purple for a week.”
The
two guys lifted Jeremy and dragged him to the large sled. Normally, 250 to
300 pound players would lunge at the padding to practice line blocks. Max
took out a small key and unlocked the handcuffs. He tossed the cuffs aside
and quickly grabbed one wrist while Billy held Jeremy’s arm tightly. He found
a good area on the sled support and wrapped tape around the left wrist until
it was temporarily welded to the cold metal. After inspecting his work with
satisfaction, Max did the same thing with the right wrist.
“Urrgh,
er, ahhh, urghh…” Jeremy was desperately trying to talk.
“Take
the tape off the queer boy’s mouth. He probably wants to thank us for what
he’s going to get,” Max said with a snicker.
“Yeah.
That way he can suck us off.” Billy walked over and ripped off the tape from
Jeremy’s mouth.
“You
guys are crazy,” Jeremy yelled. “Undo me before this goes too far.” He wanted
to roll out a series of invectives but decided it was best to first get one
chip on the table before hurling any insults. “Let me go and we’ll write this
off as a joke that didn’t come off very well.”
“The
joke’s on you, fudge packer. Here’s the deal…we don’t like queers. But, a
hole’s a hole and I’m horny,” Max replied with no emotion.
“Seriously,
I gotta get to work. Cut me loose and I won’t say anything about this.” Jeremy
didn’t want to plead but he was determined to try anything to neutralize this
situation. He decided to try to separate Billy Cortez from Max ‘shit-for-brains’
Boring. “Billy, whaduya say? We’ve never had a problem with each other.”
“I…didn’t
know you were queer. But, Max is right – it’s all changed and…I’m horny, too.”
“And
we’re serious. Your pants come down after Billy takes off your shoes. Now.”
Max glared at Jeremy and licked his lips.
“Kick
me and you’re dead,” Billy said as he bent over and slipped off Jeremy’s Nikes.
After he threw the sneakers aside, Billy reached up and undid the buttons
of Jeremy’s 501’s.
“Fuck,
you’re going to do this, aren’t you? This is very wrong…don’t you guys get
it? It’s rape.” Jeremy knew time was not on his side and dreaded the moment
about to arrive. He gritted his teeth and shuddered at the thought of being
entered by these animals.
“The
pants. Off, now. I’m ready to get a real piece of ass.” Max pulled the wallet
out of Jeremy’s jeans. “Well, lookie here. Our classmate has a few dollars
that he don’t need.” He took ten twenty-dollar bills out of the wallet and
pocketed the cash. “Kind of a thank you gift. We’ll split this later.”
“Okay,
okay. I get that this is goin’ to happen,” Jeremy said. His mind was working
at warp speed as he determined how to best react. He knew that driving a wedge
between his two captors was still the best course while he figured out a way
to stall for time. “Um, why don’t you let Billy go first? He’s better to get
me…ready…for you.”
“I…I
don’t know about doing it first,” Billy stammered. “I’ve never done this…to
a guy.”
“Billy,
you guys said a hole is a hole. Forget about me…cuz this is not my thing and
I’m not going to enjoy taking either of you up my butt. Point is, Billy…your
dick is a nice size for…screwing. And afterwards, Max will thank you for prepping
me.” Jeremy talked with deliberate, measured tones while he inwardly cringed
at the thought of what he had proposed. ‘Oh, man,’ he thought, ‘please let
this sink into those morons’ heads.’ He also knew he was running out of time
in his effort to stall this attack.
“The
faggot’s got a point. You do it first and then I’ll follow.” Max jerked down
Jeremy’s jeans and briefs in one swift motion. “Step out of your pants,” Max
ordered. One at a time, Jeremy lifted his legs out of the jeans. Next, Jeremy’s
legs were kicked further apart. Finally Max undid his pants, pulled out his
cock and slowly stroked himself. “Whip it out and get hard,” he told Billy.
“You’re first at bat.”
“Okay,
but this queer is going to suck me clean after you’re finished.” Billy zipped
down his jeans and revealed a firm erection. He looked at Max and added, “I’m
so horny that I think looking at a couple of dogs doing it would get me going.”
“Sloan,
stick your butt out and get ready to enjoy it.” Max’s hardon was completely
extended and precum was dripping.
“Billy,
for Christ’s sake, spit on your dick. It’ll be easier to get it in,” Jeremy
said. He had reached a point where his objective was to lessen the pain and
avoid damage…if possible.
A
gob of saliva landed on Billy’s eager erection and he coated the head before
positioning it at Jeremy’s back door.
Suddenly,
the door burst open and several young men charged in. Max was pushed to the
floor and forced to lie on his back. The lineman’s massive, inflated dick
still protruded out of his fly. Billy was pulled off Jeremy and was thrown
down to a similar position. At the same time, a steady flashing and clicking
from a digital camera recorded the graphic, incriminating details. The 10
young rescuers were a mix of swim team, football players and other male friends
of Jeremy.
“Make
one move, Max, and that dick of yours will be seriously damaged,” Robert Stein
shouted. “Did you get all the pictures you need, Tommy?”
“Yeah.
All in disgusting living color,” Tommy Turner said. “Jeremy, as embarrassing
as this is, we can’t release you until Franklin and cops get here in a minute.
They need to witness what these shitheads have been up to.”
“Mr.
Franklin and a few of Chicago’s finest are almost here,” Sam Agosto said from
the open doorway. “I’ll go out and flag them over here.”
“Max,
you stepped in deep doo-doo on this one. What have you got to say for yourself?
I’m embarrassed to say that we were teammates.” Troy Tuturno looked down at
the hulk of a young man on the floor and shook his head.
“He…Sloan’s
a fuckin’ queer. All these faggots like to get it up their ass,” Max replied
with a sneer.
“You
don’t like gays?” Troy asked as Mr. Franklin, the high school principal, and
the police entered the shed.
“Fuckin’
hate them. They’ll burn in hell but not until I teach them a lesson…especially
this fairy. Let me loose, Troy. I can finish this another day.”
“I
don’t think so, Mr. Boring. This is serious business you’ve started,” came
the familiar, authoritarian voice of Mr. Franklin, principal of Lincoln Park
High School.
The
young men stood aside as the principal and three Chicago policemen walked
into the shed.
“Sir,
I’d like to free Jeremy and let him…get dressed if you’ve seen enough,” Robert
said. “Tommy took several pictures of this place and…what happened.”
“I’ve
seen more than enough. Officers, may the young man get dressed?”
“Certainly.
We’ve got the picture,” one of the policemen replied. “It will all be in our
report.”
“This is a sad day for our school,” Mr. Franklin
said. “Jeremy, how are you doing?”
“Under
the circumstances, okay, I guess. I’ve probably got enough material for some
crazy nightmares. But I would like to be released.” Jeremy was embarrassed
that the adults saw him in his confined state. “Thanks. You guys came just
in time.”
“You
can thank Stein and the rest of your friends. Seems they set up some sort
of watch in case something like this happened and a system to take action.
Their use of cell phones to relay your plight was extremely helpful,” Mr.
Franklin said.
“A
good friend of yours from work downtown came up with the idea,” Robert said
to Jeremy. Silently, he mouthed “Charlie.”
“Guys,
when I asked you to cover my back, I didn’t dream that something like this
would happen. I would have been shit out of luck if you hadn’t arrived. Whoops…sorry,
Mr. Franklin,” Jeremy said with an embarrassed smile.
“Sloan,
I assure you I’m familiar with the phrase,” the principal replied with a warm
smile. “Come by and see me first thing in the morning. There’s a good man
I want you to see for what may turn out to be some much needed counseling.”
“Will
do. Probably would be helpful to sort all this shi…stuff out.”
Robert
took a Swiss Army knife out of his pocket and cut the tape that bound Jeremy’s
wrists to the blocking practice sled. He helped Jeremy pull off the tape and
found the bunched up jeans with the briefs in the corner. He handed the clothing
to Jeremy and smiled as his best friend quickly redressed. Jeremy spotted
his shoes and sat down on the floor to get them back on.
By
the time Jeremy turned around to face his friends and the authorities, he
saw Max and Billy, fully clothed, standing with their wrists bound by red
strips of plastic. He nodded at his buddies and said a quiet prayer. He was
thankful they had indeed covered his backside and proved their friendship
in spades.
“Mr.
Sloan, we need to get a statement from you,” said one of the police officers.
“We can do it either here or at the station.”
“Sir,
if we could finish everything right now, I’d appreciate it. Nothing bad happened
to me physically and I need to get to work in a half-hour,” Jeremy replied,
putting on a brave front. “Oh, if you look in one of Max’s jean pockets, you’ll
find $200.00 in twenties. I was going to stop by the bank this afternoon.
He took my money.”
“You
want to pull out the money? We can fish it out it we have to,” said another
uniformed policeman.
“Th…that’s
my money,” Max replied with a wilting defiance.
“Right.
And Sloan here has x-ray vision. Get it out.”
Max
muttered to himself while he struggled to reach into his pocket and retrieve
the money. The task was made difficult with his bound hands.
The
policeman took the bills, counted it and said, “I verify the amount of money.
Unfortunately it’ll be a little while before you can get this back. The money
is considered evidence and must be logged in first. You can probably claim
this once all the paperwork is completed and the perpetrators are arraigned.”
“Yes,
Sir. I understand.” Jeremy didn’t need the money right away and was more interested
in having this afternoon end with the departure of the police. “Guys, thanks
again to all of you. I could have been seriously hurt if you hadn’t gotten
here.” Suddenly it hit him – what had happened and his close call. He started
to cry and fell into Robert’s open arms. “Jeez. I feel like such a wuss,”
Jeremy added with a few sniffles.
“Sloan,
on behalf of the school, I’m sorry that this ever happened. When you graduate
– with honors, I might add – next month, there will be two fewer people in
your class.” Mr. Franklin walked over and took Jeremy’s hand and squeezed
it.
“I’ll
get these two over to the station while you take Sloan’s statement,” said
another policeman. “Let’s see…kidnapping under force, attempted rape and a
theft. How’s that for openers?”
“Oh,
I think that we can add ‘hate crime’ to this misadventure. The mayor and the
department are very clear about their severity on hate crimes…of any type
in any category, be it race, gender or sexual orientation,” the first policeman
added. “But we’ll let the prosecutor’s office figure out this one. Boys, time
to go over to Larrabee Street.” The
Larrabee Street station was the nearest police station in the North Side neighborhood.
“I understand one of you has pictures of the crime scene?”
“Yes,
Sir. On my camera,” Tommy answered.
“I’ll
need to take that for evidence. There’s a computer tech at the station who
can retrieve the data from the camera for evidence. Here’s my card. Give me
a call in a couple of days. You and Sloan can probably pick up your property
by then.” The policeman smiled and handed the compact, swim team diver a business
card. Before leaving, they gathered the other physical evidence; the roll
of tape, hand cuffs, and the cut tape from Jeremy’s wrists, and placed them
in plastic bags.
Max
and Billy held their heads down as two uniformed officers escorted them out
of the shed. The third officer stayed behind to take Jeremy’s statement.
“Jeremy,
are you going to be okay? Or, do you need to take some time off?” Mr. Franklin
asked. “I need to get back to the office to start a lot of paperwork. Again,
what happened to you was deplorable and you have my deepest apologies.”
“Sir,
I think I’m fine. This has been a really strange day…I’m just trying to process
this. I’ll be in your office tomorrow morning to see the counselor.”
“With
all due respect, you’re not fine,” Robert said, walking over to Jeremy. “I’ll
call Bally’s and let them know that you’re not well. You, my friend, are coming
home with me for some of my mom’s cooking.” Robert then put his arm around
his best friend.
“Bobby,
you’re right. I think I’ll head home with you right after I finish with the
police.” Jeremy shook the hands of the principal, hugged each friend individually
and added as an afterthought. “I guess I also need to call Naomi and Charlie.”
____________________
TO BE CONTINUED